Kate Moves On
by ileebsfm
Summary: What happens after Kate rings Hunt?


Kate Moves On

This short chapter posits that Kate takes Rick's rejection in the same manner he responded to her disclosure in the interrogation room. There is a paradox in how shippers see these responses in a stereotypical manner. In other words, it's okay for Rick to bed bimbos because he's a man, he has attachment issues blah blah blah. But when it comes to Kate, it's almost an unpardonable sin for her to respond in the same way. This is bumkin! She has always been an empowered woman despite her potentially self-destructive determination to solve her mum's murder, she has a voracious sexual appetite as referenced/alluded to at various times, and she has attachment issues which may well lead her to find sexual comfort. We can all play amateur psychologist but in the end, it's worth exploring the notion of "what if Kate slept with Hunt?" This is just a brief starter and may not go any further. As a shipper I hated writing it but a part of me also couldn't ignore the idiom "if it's good enough for the goose it's good enough for the gander".

* * *

><p>Airport Motel: Room 616<p>

Kate disentangled herself from Hunt's warm body and lay observing him as he slept. It occurred to her that she should wake him as wheels up to England were in 90 minutes according to the standard issue bedside clock radio. Castle had said fun and uncomplicated was what he needed right now and it was then that she realised he was never a serious candidate for her heart. Divorced twice and still chasing bimbos. Four dates in three days and who knows what else? She got the message loud and clear.

How could things change so quickly? It was as if a switch had been flicked off leaving them completely shrouded in darkness. A black hole. Their own personal Bermuda Triangle leaving nothing but a deathly fragrance. A sickly sweet odour of "what ifs". Nothingness. No "us". No "we". No life. As dead and unresponsive as tomorrow's homicide victim.

Thank goodness I was cautious Kate reflected. Despite what Lanie said, anything worth anything was worth waiting for. And it was obvious Rick was no longer waiting. Which meant his proclamations of love when he thought she was dying were more desperation than genuine declaration? Was it so cliché for her to expect Rick to say what he means and mean what he says? Irrelevant now in any case.

And the ease that Rick dismissed her with impunity, while fleeing to rescue his double-parked bimbo, felt like a dagger to her heart. She had struggled to breathe and recalled her rising panic as she hyperventilated. Then in a heartbeat and with calm precision, Kate had instinctively regained full control of her senses. Who said she had to play the martyr while Rick once again exchanged bodily fluids with the bimbo? No-one dictated how she ran her personal life. She then phoned Hunt.

Uncomplicated and fun was a two-way street with no footpaths thought Kate. You walk down the middle of the road and you either get hit by oncoming traffic or you catch a ride. Hunt had been hitting on her since they met and Kate already had a glimpse of his potential. She smiled inwardly at this subtle reference. What could be more uncomplicated than a couple of hours with someone you will never likely, nor want to, see again? Alone again, naturally, she hummed in her mind as she lay there.

"Shit, I've got to get a move on. Bugger!" The panic in Hunt's voice startled Kate and with that he was dressed and out the door in under three minutes. As uncomplicated a departure as ever there was she sighed. Almost surreal. Just moments before her touch-starved body had been exploding to his every invasion and now it was as if he was never there. A quick peck on the cheek and then, emptiness. Her old friend. That familiar feeling she thought she would never again entertain. Welcome back. Out of the blue her phone screamed. It was Rick!

* * *

><p>Hope that wasn't too harrowing an experience. These characters are flawed and while I love the notion of a flawless Stana, unfortunately Kate is not Stana. I envisage that Chapter 2 will take place in Rick's Loft and lay the groundwork for some "courageous conversations."<p> 


End file.
